Changes in physical activity during the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and future frailty in older survivors

Abstract

AimThis study examines whether changes in physical activity (PA) during the first year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011–2012) contributed to preventing the onset of future frailty among older survivors of the disaster.MethodsThis study tracked 2561 physically active Japanese survivors aged ≥ 65 years (43.6% men; mean age 72.9 years) who had completed self‐administered questionnaires in 2011 and 2012. PA levels for participants were classified into four categories based on ≥23 and <23 metabolic equivalent hours/week in 2011 and 2012: “consistently low,” “decreasing,” “increasing,” and “consistently high.” Frailty was defined as a Kihon Checklist score ≥ 5, which is used in the long‐term care insurance system in Japan. Hazard ratios were calculated for the onset of frailty using a Cox proportional hazards model that fitted the proportional sub‐distribution hazards regression model with weights for competing risks of death.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2018, 283 men and 490 women developed frailty. Men with consistently high or increasing PA during the first year after the disaster had a lower risk of frailty. Furthermore, even increasing PA by walking for just 30 min/day prevented future frailty in men; however, this association between a change in PA and the decreased risk of frailty was not observed in women.ConclusionsOlder men who remained physically active or resumed PA at an early stage and at a low intensity, even after being physically inactive owing to the disaster, were able to prevent future frailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 563–570.